Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Over half of all Latino undergraduate students in higher education (54%) are enrolled in less than 10 percent of institutions in the United States. This concentration of Latino enrollment in higher education was first recognized by educators and policy makers in the 1980s and contributed to the invention of a new construct, which came to be known as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).

The defining characteristic of HSIs is their Hispanic enrollment, not their mission. HSIs are defined in federal law as accredited and degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with 25 percent or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent student enrollment.

View Excelencia's Hispanic-Serving Institutions Issue Briefs.